A short history of occupational disease: 2. Asbestos, chemicals, radium and beyond

Our plain-English summary of A short history of occupational disease: 2. Asbestos, chemicals, radium and beyond, by D. Petts, M. Wren, B.R. Nation, et al (The Ulster Medical Journal, 2021).

The study

• Authors: D. Petts, M. Wren, B.R. Nation, G. Guthrie, B. Kyle, L. Peters, S. Mortlock, S. Clarke, C. Burt
• Journal: The Ulster Medical Journal
• Published: 2021;90(1):32-34
• Type of article: Historical article
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Free full text

Abstract

Historically, the weighing out and manipulation of dangerous chemicals frequently occurred without adequate protection from inhalation or accidental ingestion. The use of gloves, eye protection using goggles, masks or visors was scant. From Canary Girls and chimney sweeps to miners, stone cutters and silo fillers, these are classic exemplars of the subtle (and in some cases not so subtle) effects that substances, environments and practices can have on individual health.

Copyright © 2021 Ulster Medical Society.

In plain English

This was a short narrative history of occupational disease, written by members of the History Committee of the Institute of Biomedical Science and based on posters shown at a 2019 congress. It was not a new study. It retold published accounts of work-related illness, from Percival Pott's 1775 description of scrotal cancer in chimney sweeps to radium dial painters, First World War munitions workers called 'Canary Girls', miners with pneumoconiosis, and farmers with hypersensitivity lung disease. Its coverage of asbestos was brief. It said asbestos exposure among electricians and in the construction industry was very common in the past. It credited Mereweather and Price, whose 1930 report appears in its reference list, with finding that the greater the exposure to asbestos fibres, the greater the risk of developing mesothelioma. It also stated that by 2015 a total of 157,000 persons had been recorded as having asbestosis, with 3600 deaths, but gave no country or source for that figure. No asbestos fiber types were named. The authors concluded that dangers have often been identified only after many cases accumulated.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Narrative historical review (medical history article), based on and expanding a set of conference posters; no original data
• Who was studied: No study population. The article surveys historical accounts of workers in many occupations, including chimney sweeps, munitions workers, miners, stone cutters, electricians, construction workers and farmers
• Exposure: Many occupational hazards, including chemicals, radium, dusts and spores. Asbestos is mentioned only as exposure among electricians and in the construction industry, with no fiber types named
• Main results:
  • The article attributes to Mereweather and Price (a 1930 report in its reference list) the finding that greater exposure to asbestos fibres meant greater risk of developing mesothelioma
  • The article states that by 2015, 157,000 persons had been recorded as having asbestosis, with 3600 deaths. No country or source is given for this figure
  • The article lists asbestos among agents identified as causes of cancer between 1922 and 1995
  • The article states that around 5% of cancer-related deaths have historically been estimated to be attributable to occupational exposure to carcinogens
  • The article recounts Pott's 1775 report of a high incidence of scrotal cancer in chimney sweeps
  • The article states that among First World War munitions workers, toxic jaundice was reported in 400 women, with 100 deaths
  • The article states that by 1990, deaths in miners due to pneumoconiosis in the UK reached 29,000
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that many occupational hazards were not immediately obvious, that dangers were often identified only after many cases accumulated, and that there is now more awareness of how to regulate and minimise risks

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Occupational Disease.

Related studies

• A short history of the toxicology of inhaled particles — K. Donaldson, A. Seaton (2012)
• Dangerous and cancer-causing properties of products and chemicals in the oil refining and petrochemical industry: Part V--Asbestos-caused cancers and exposure of workers in the oil refining industry — M.A. Mehlman (1991)
• Asbestos and cancer: history and public policy — M.P. Weller (1993)
• Why did the Nazis have the world's most aggressive anti-cancer campaign? — R.N. Proctor (1999)
• A history of awareness of asbestos disease and the control of occupational asbestos exposures in The Netherlands — L. Burdorf, P.H. Swuste, et al. (1991)
• Historical background to the asbestos problem — D.H. Lee, I.J. Selikoff (1979)

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